Pettitte Comes Through

More than a win, the Yanks needed length out of their starting pitcher tonight. It turns out, they got both. Pettitte went 7 decent innings and Farnsworthless got the ball to Mo with the lead en route to a 5-3 win.

I have a huge bone to pick with Joey Jr. after this one. With no one out in the top of the ninth Jeter was on second and Abreu was on first. A perfect situation for A-Rod to bunt! If he moves those runners over the Yanks don't even need a hit to score the insurance run. A-Rod K'd and the Yanks squandered a perfectly good opportunity. What was Girardi thinking?

Uh, that's a joke, in case you didn't get it. No complaints about the skipper tonight. Pettitte put a small army on the bases, but battled out of just enough of those jams to get the W. The offense left a large army stranded throughout the night, but let's just say they're saving those big hits for games when they need them, OK?

What once looked like the beginnings of a new era in Tampa is quickly becoming the same old, same old. Maybe when Kazmir gets back they'll go on a run, but I just don't see it. The bullpen has been over-performing, and it's only a matter of time. Tonight, they pitched 4 scoreless, but that's not going to happen very often when you walk 5 guys in those four innings.

Matsui stroked his third bomb of the year, and Jeter proved he's all the way back, going 3 for 4 and swiping a bag. Cano's struggles continue and Giambi's average is in the double-digits now.

A quick two-game sweep in the friendly confines of St. Pete will hopefully serve as a warm up for the two-gamer the Yanks will return home to play against the Sox tomorrow and Thursday at the Stadium. The match-ups are below:

• Wang vs. Buchholz
• Beckett vs. Mussina

Player of The Game: I'm going with Mariano Rivera tonight. He's now 5 for 5 in save opportunities and he's made it look downright easy.
Team Record: 8-7
Damon's Broken Bats: 0 tonight, making me look foolish for keeping track.